The distraught stepson of Duane ‘the Bounty Hunter’ Chapman was placed under psychiatric observation after he accidentally shot and killed his teenage son over the weekend, according to a report.
Gregory Zecca, who mistakenly killed his 13-year-old boy Anthony at an apartment in Naples, Florida Saturday evening, is being monitored out of extreme caution over fears he may try to take his own life, a representative for the family told TMZ.
The rep noted that Zecca is stricken by grief over his son’s death, not because of any apparent guilt in relation to the shooting, for which he has not faced any charges.
Zecca was also heavily sedated as part of the observation, TMZ reported.
The Baker Act, also known as the Florida Mental Health Act, allows for people exhibiting serious signs of mental illness and behavior that could pose a threat to themselves or others to be involuntarily placed under examination, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families.
It is unclear if Zecca was voluntarily or involuntarily committed.
Chapman married Zecca’s mother, Francie Frane, in 2021 shortly after the couple lost their respective spouses to cancer.
The two families quickly united over their Christian faith, grief and Chapman’s eclectic, gun-touting bounty hunter lifestyle.
Zecca wound up joining Chapman’s bounty team and would bring Anthony to practice at gun ranges, according to photos posted on his Instagram.
The family described the shooting as a “tragic accident.” The Collier County Sheriff’s Office also asserted that it was an “isolated incident,” but didn’t mention anyone involved.
“We are grieving as a family over this incomprehensible tragic accident and would ask for continued prayers as we grieve the loss of our beloved grandson, Anthony,” representatives for Chapman and his family said.
Chapman has 13 other children between six different women, four of whom were with previous wives.
Police are still investigating the shooting.
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